One of my legs wasn't shorter

Missing link in posture conversations & August intentions

Before I share what I’ve learned over the years about my “shorter leg,” I wanted to take a moment to share these community August intentions. And happy August!

Each word you see is an intention shared during last week’s Embodied Monthly Reset on Insight Timer.

As I sat with them, something nudged me.

What if I wrote them down each month and carried them into my morning meditations?

So I did. I added mine too.

Each morning, I sit with these intentions, ours, and hold them in quiet prayer. If you feel called to add yours to the list, please feel free to send it to me. Now let’s talk about the “shorter leg” story!

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In mainstream movement and rehab spaces, we hear a lot about how to “fix” your lower back, hip flexors, and tight hamstrings.
But we rarely hear about the actual bone they all connect to…

Your pelvis.

Back in the day, when I was dealing with persistent lower back pain and intense hamstring tightness after every strength workout, I remember visiting a chiropractor who said,
"Wow, one of your legs is shorter than the other and your hamstring is really tight. Here is a figure four stretch and some foam rolling. Do these all the time."

Years later, I learned:

1. My leg was not shorter. My pelvis was rotated toward the right, which made it appear that way.

2. My hamstring was not tight for no reason. It was protecting me. My nervous system was holding tension to keep me from falling forward because I had no core or pelvic stability.

3. Stretching was not the solution. I needed to restore stability in my posture. (You can learn more about why I no longer rely on stretching by reading the post below)

Pelvis stability is foundational to how we orient ourselves in space and how we experience safety.

Everything is more interconnected than you think. There is a strong relationship between:

• The pelvis and the diaphragm

• The pelvis and the feet

• The pelvis and the jaw

• The pelvis and your shoulders

I could go on and on.

Your pelvis is meant to move in eight directions. But we usually only hear about anterior and posterior tilt. There is more:

• Hiking and dropping

• Shifting left and right

• Rotating left and right

When we lose this natural movement, whether from lifestyle, injury, trauma, or pregnancy, it creates a chain reaction.

We might experience knee pain, lower back discomfort, or even symptoms we rarely link to the pelvis, like bladder control issues. In my case, it also showed up in my jaw.

In the third session of Posture Reset on Insight Timer, we explored pelvis stability:

1. How your pelvis actually works

2. A gentle self assessment

3. Breathing mechanics (yes, again, because it matters every time)

4. Sensory based exercises to restore stability

These sessions are different from your typical yoga or stretch classes. They are grounded in sensation. We use the brain and body together to feel things you may not have noticed before.

As some of my clients say, it is humbling. From the outside, it may look like you are not doing much, but inside, you are sweating, shaking, and feeling more than you expected.

So go slow. Stay curious.

Let me know what stood out to you. I would love to hear.

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👁️ What your body has been trying to tell you?

If you want to go deeper and explore your body’s story, take this quiz to see what patterns show up for you!

The way we hold ourselves matters. Not just because of how it looks. But because it shapes how we live, how we relate, and what we’re capable of imagining. Let your body speak. Let it interrupt the collective war and offer you a new way of being entirely.

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Client’s Unconditioning ↓

If you feel called to explore working with me to re-pattern your body, regulate your nervous system, and restore your power, book an alignment call here: https://tidycal.com/hedishah/alignment-call

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Things you may enjoy ↓

1. Last week, I joined

   Mouna Laaragat
   ,
   Molly Caro May
   and Kylie B for a powerful conversation on feminine resilience, where we explored boundaries, somatics, and our lived experiences. Tune in for a nuanced, body-based dialogue you may not hear in mainstream spaces. → Watch

2. Why I stopped chasing enoughness→ Read

3. Why posture is systemic → Read

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Thank you for joining me on the path of unconditioning,

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Hedi Shah
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👁️ Bodyworker & Mindfulness Teacher
🌊 Teaching change makers to uncondition their bodies, nervous systems, and voices from systems built to keep them small so they can move, speak, and live with sovereign power.

📲 Website | Youtube | LinkedIn | Insight Timer